The Alternative
by xT-Zealot
Summary: We know how the story ended. But what if fate had taken a turn for the worst? Instead of being defeated...what would happen if Shishio had been the victor? (SoujiroMisao)
1. Prologue: The Alternative

**Author's Note: **I told you that I was back! And now I'm here with a fic that is like my Prisoner. However, instead of having Misao simply captured, this fic is going to have one larger turn; Shishio being the victor. Yes, there's going to be some heartaches considering that our bacon man being the victor means that Kenshin and others have met their downfall. Still…I hope you don't injure me too badly for the character deaths…

aaa

Misao had felt pain before, and she had shed the tears that came from it. She had cried when she discovered that she would never see her parents again. She had cried when Aoshi and the rest of the Oniwabanshu had disappeared, leaving Misao alone in Kyoto, wondering where they had gone and if they were okay. She had cried when she finally found Aoshi, only to discover that he had joined Shishio.

And now she cried because Aoshi was dead.

Himura Kenshin, the legendary Battousai, had left Kyoto, promising Misao that he would bring back Aoshi. He promised that everything was going to be okay.

And now he was dead too.

The recently appointed Okishira of the Oniwabanshu was only able to stare with wide emerald green eyes at the two bodies of Kenshin and Aoshi. Tears fell from those eyes as pain wrenched her heart. The pain was like no other, attacking her body and soul.

Near her was another who felt her pain. On her knees, face in her hands, Kamiya Kaoru released her own tears as she cried for the ones that have fallen.

Kenshin and Aoshi weren't the only casualties. Sagara Sanosuke had also perished.

Yahiko stood next to Kaoru, looking at the bodies of his friends. He sniffed, trying to fight back his tears but failing miserably. Misao could clearly see the tears that he was wiping away, only to have more replace them.

Around the three, police officers were disappearing into the cave that led to Shishio's hideout…where the bodies of Aoshi, Sano, and Kenshin had been found. They were digging through the ruins of what had been the hideout. Two police officers suddenly appeared from within the cave, both of them carrying a woman. Besides her crushed body, a wound in her chest that seemed to have come from a sword had been what killed her.

But Misao didn't care about the woman. She only cared about Aoshi, her Aoshi.

The tears wouldn't stop falling. She had been searching for Aoshi, wanting him to be with her again. But now that can never happen.

Misao dropped to her knees, her throat constricting, making it hard for her to breathe.

He couldn't be dead, not Aoshi. She couldn't lose him, not after all she had done to see him again. He couldn't…

Misao couldn't take it anymore. The pain, the sorrow, all of it churned within her, wanting to be released. And Misao did.

The Okashira looked up at the sky. Dark clouds had formed, and Misao felt a droplet of water land on her face. It started to rain, the very sky mirroring her sorrow.

And now Misao screamed, releasing her sorrow and pain that had wanted that release.

aaa

Exactly one week and three days ago, the bodies of Shinomori Aoshi, Sagara Sanosuke, Hajime Saitoh, and Himura Kenshin had been found at what had once been Makoto Shishio's establishment. The news is terrible to hear, but we have found Sadojima Hoji and Komagata Yumi, two of Shishio's followers, dead. Even Uonuma Usui, one of the members of Shishio's elite force called the Juppon Gatana, that had once been a hitokiri for the Edo Bakufu group during the Bakamatsu Revolution, is no longer alive.

Seven other members of the Juppon Gatan have been taken into custody and, as you have requested, we have given them the choice of working for the government. Most of them have accepted, but a couple had refused. One such person was Yuukyuzan Anji, a monk who has willingly given himself up to pay for his crimes. His punishment has yet to be decided.

Nine of the ten members are now either working for the government, in custody, or dead. There is one that hasn't been accounted for.

From our interrogations with the Juppon Gatana, he is Seta Soujiro. The Tenken, as he is called, had assassinated several government officials, including Toshimichi Ookuba. Search parties have been sent out to look for him, but having a week of a head start, I doubt that we'll find him anytime soon.

The body of Makoto Shishio hasn't been found. However, with the ruins that was his base of operations and that it was the legendary Battousai that you had sent to take care of him, I doubt that he is alive.

So with that I will declare, with your permission, that Makoto Shishio is dead, and his reign of terror has ended.

Signed,   
Kojiro Amuro, Captain of the Kyoto police force

aaa

**Author's Note: **Don't kill me! Their deaths shall be avenged! This seemed like a good…yet sad…start for this fic. Hopefully this fic had caught you guys' interest and hope you'll be reading this to the end!


	2. Chapter 1: The Okashira Of Nothing

**Author's Note: **Been a while since I posted a chapter. Ah, well Spring Break came along and I decided to take the week off from writing. But now I'm back with a new chapter! So read fools!

aaa

Zigura Hurato was feeling like the luckiest man in Japan at the moment, and had been countless moments in the past, ever since he made that decision a year ago. While the cowards that made up the Imperial army were hiding in fear miles away, Hurato was drinking the finest sake that he can buy, celebrating his promotion to Lieutenant.

'About damn time too,' Hurato thought to himself, the back of his throat burning from all the alcohol that he had drank. 'After all that I've done for this army. If it weren't for me, we wouldn't be this close to wipe out the Meiji government.'

Having been drunk so many times before, Hurato knew that the alcohol was getting to him once again. But why should he care? He was off duty at the moment, and what could be better then celebrating his new rank?

Hurato had been in this army ever since it was formed. He had even been there at the taking of Kyoto. It was he that had left that little surprise in the ammo supply for the police force. He had been made Captain for that accomplishment.

Who would've known that joining Shishio would give him such reward?

Hurato had seen the man once. The bandages that covered all that burnt flesh was a bit of a disturbing sight. Still, with how Shishio had been able to assemble this army, who was he to care about the man's appearance?

And, most important of all, who was Hurato to complain about the respect he so rightfully deserved? He was getting plenty of it. Unlike the bastards that had been his superiors in the Kyoto police force, Shishio knew talent when he saw it, and knew how to award people that had that talent.

'So what should I do after winning this war?' Hurato thought to himself. 'Ask for a nice piece of land with a mansion to go with it? Servants too?'

Chuckling to himself, Hurato took another gulp of sake, glancing at the person that had just taken a seat next to him…and almost choked on his drink. He just found a new prize.

The person had been wearing a cloak, the hood hiding their face, so Hurato just thought that the guy was a man. But when the person lowered their hood, Hurato knew that he had been wrong when he saw that long silky black hair and the face that had smooth, pale skin.

She had probably just reached adulthood, but Hurato didn't care; he had been away from women for far too long. That and the pair of legs that he could now see. Also, after letting his gaze wander up her slim form, she was decently developed.

"So, a Lieutenant?"

Hurato was pulled out of his thoughts when the woman spoke, causing him to look up at that face of hers. A mischievous grin was on her face, and he knew that he scored big time. Thanking Shishio over and over again in his mind for promoting him, Hurato tapped the insignia that was on his shirt. "I think this speaks for itself."

"Impressive." Turning to the bartender, the woman said, "One room please," before looking back at Hurato. "You must be pretty good then."

"Well of course!" Hurato was grinning to himself. "I had even helped with taking Kyoto."

Something flashed within the woman's green eyes. Hurato couldn't fully catch what it was, but figured that he had sparked her interest when she said, "That _is _impressive."

Hurato nodded, the grin on his face. "I even got a plan that will give us another victory over the Imperials."

The woman actually leaned a bit further. "Is that so?"

Oh yeah, he had her.

Unfortunately, the innkeeper returned before Hurato could speak again. "Room sixteen."

The woman nodded and gave a wink to Hurato. "You heard him." And then she was going up the stairs a second later.

Hurato watched the woman go until he could no longer see her. He downed the rest of his drink, paid the innkeeper, and then went to the stairs.

Room sixteen, that's the room she was in. Damn she was sure fast, and Hurato didn't mind at all.

Thanks to the alcohol, Hurato had stumbled and almost fell while he walked up the stairs. But that obstacle Hurato managed to get passed. Unfortunately, he had to worry about finding the right room. Not only did he have a bit of a problem with coordination, but also with sight. That obstacle took about two minutes to complete, and Hurato was opening the door to the room.

Hurato that it was the alcohol that was making the room seem so dark. He didn't see the woman at first.

When he felt something cool and sharp suddenly press against his neck, he knew why.

"So…" spoke Makimachi Misao, a kunai in her hand and pointed at Hurato's neck. "What exactly is that plan that you were talking about?"

aaa

The plan was to send a regiment of troops to take out a group of five hundred soldiers that were a part of Shishio's army. The soldiers were grouped near a town, one that the Imperialists believed would be what the five hundred soldiers would either convince to join them, or take it over. The regiment that was to be set out was going to stop that from happening.

It was the information that one of the Imperialists' spies gathered that halted that action.

The town had already joined Shishio's cause three weeks ago, but had given the Imperialists false information about that. Now, instead of just townspeople, there were now troops that were lying in wait for a chance of action. According to Zigura Hurato's plan, the troops were to spring the trap if the Imperialists sent any armed forces to snape at the bait of the five hundred soldiers. If the Imperialists did engage the five hundred soldiers, the troops that were lying in wait would've attacked the Imperialist forces from behind, turning a victory for the Imperialists into a slaughter.

"It doesn't change our plans that much," spoke Amuro, looking down at the unrolled map before him. "Just a minor change of troop movement to turn the ambushers into the ambushed."

Misao simply nodded at that, though she noticed how Amuro wasn't all that pleased. She couldn't blame him; the discovery of the town's defection had disturbed her too. It had been three weeks and they had no idea about the alliance.

"Good work by the way," Amuro spoke again. He looked up from the map and at Misao. "You have really deserved the title of Okashira."

Again Misao simply nodded. Two years ago she would've been flattered, especially since the compliment came from a general. However, with all that happened back then, and what's happening now, the compliment was just as hollow as the victory that she helped achieve.

Kojiro Amuro knew how Misao felt. Like her, he had once been a leader of a group of people that he trusted and lead true. And, like Misao, he had seen those people die on that fateful day in Kyoto.

Amuro had been the captain of the Kyoto police force, and was now a general of what remained of the Imperialist forces.

During any normal war the sudden change in rank would've been strange. But this was no ordinary war.

Misao could never forget what lead to this conflict. About three months after the deaths of Kenshin and the others, bandits had suddenly appeared within Kyoto. They had spoken of things about the Meiji government, things that had been deemed as rumors. It was only after the Meiji government sent so many troops so quickly to put a stop to these bandits did people become suspicious.

And then it happened.

An army had suddenly made itself known and attacked Kyoto. It had been a small army, but it had been enough…especially when the citizens of Kyoto had suddenly turned and helped with the destruction of the city.

Images and sounds assaulted Misao's mind and she tried to block them out. She saw Okon battling a group of men, not noticing the civilian that she thought that she was protecting pulling out a knife until it was too late. Omasu suddenly finding herself surrounded, dozens of blades pointed at her.

Misao pushed those images out of her mind, focusing on what Amuro was saying. There would be time to dwell on the past, just not now.

"Shishio's forces have been a bit quiet these days," said Amuro, once again looking at the map. "It's good because it gives us time to rest and prepare for the next attack." He sighed. "Or it could mean that Shishio is planning something."

Shishio, Makoto Shishio. Everything that was happening was because of him.

Misao had known about Kenshin's mission to assassinate Shishio. The man had been burned because of what he had done for the Meiji government. He had known secrets that could've torn the Meiji government apart. Secrets that needed to stay secret.

_Like they are now, _Misao thought bitterly.

Yes, the so called rumors that the "bandits" had spoken had been those secrets. It was the Meiji government's actions to silence them quickly that got people thinking.

"So what can we do?" questioned Misao.

"Do?" Amuro sighed, suddenly looking three times older then he really was. "Nothing…for now."

Misao said nothing. Two years ago, her response would've been different, and she felt that feeling that didn't want to sit around and do nothing. However, she had to admit that she couldn't think of anything to do. Sure, she could do some more spying, but she had been working nonstop for a week to obtain the information from that lieutenant, and hadn't gotten much rest during that time. She felt like a sixty year old instead of eighteen.

Amuro seemed to notice her weakness. "You should get some rest. Come back as soon as you're ready, but I want you to spend at least three days home before even thinking about coming back. That's an order by the way."

At the "order", a small smile appeared on her face. "Just stay alive while I'm gone."

She meant it. The betrayers in the war weren't just the citizens of Kyoto. People that were heroes and lead the Imperialists to the greatest of victories one day became traitors that cause the worst of defeats the next day. Some of those traitorous actions included assassinations of military leaders. That was how Amuro gotten his high rank.

"Don't worry," replied Amuro. "I survived Kyoto; I'm not going to die by getting stabbed in the back."

Misao simply nodded before disappearing out of the tent.

aaa

With a simple punch delivered to the man's gut, followed by an uppercut, Misao easily beat him down. But that had only been one man out of hundreds, maybe over a thousand.

The Okashira of the Oniwabanshu breathed heavily, and found that breathing hurt a little.

Misao had never been this exhausted, this sore, since the battle against the Juppon Gatana at the Aoiya. Her ninja outfit was torn, revealing the cuts and bruises that had been hidden a moment ago. Exhausted, Misao dropped to a knee, wanting to catch her breath.

Around her, chaos ensued. What had once been a marvelous city, Kyoto had been transformed into a battlefield. Buildings that had been inns, shops, and homes were being consumed by flames, causing Misao to cough from the smoke while her eyes burned. The ground had been painted red, the bodies of the Kyoto police and the attackers dumped in those pools of blood.

A shout caused Misao to look up, and groaned when she saw twelve more men wielding swords. They weren't police officers. The men spotted Misao and one, obviously the leader, waved his sword at the ninja girl and shouted something before they all started towards her.

With effort, Misao pushed her pain to the side while she stood up on her feet with shaky legs. She couldn't beat all of them. Misao was out of kunai, not to mention exhausted. Still, Misao did her best to get herself into a fighting stance. She may die but she wasn't going to go down without a fight.

"Fire!"

Misao wasn't expecting the sudden command, nor was she expecting the collection of bangs behind her. Six of the twelve advancing men suddenly fell to the ground, and the rest suddenly halted.

The Okashira looked behind her and saw six other men, these dressed in police uniforms, reloading their rifles. But what caught Misao's attentions was the old man behind the assembled officers, one that wore a ninja outfit identical to Misao's.

"Jiya!" Suddenly feeling some strength return to her, Misao ran over to Okina while the police officers ran past her to deal with the six remaining attackers.

Misao hugged Okina, who in turn held her back before pulling the ninja girl away and holding her by her shoulders. "Misao, we have to leave!"

It was because of Misao's exhaustion that caused her brain to slowly process the information before she responded. Eyes widening, Misao pulled way from Okina and stared at him. "Leave? But we can't!"

"Misao we have to! Kyoto is being burned to the ground! We can't win! There's too many!"

Misao shook her head. "We can't leave!" She looked around, searching for Omasu, Okon, or anyone else from the Oniwabanshu. "Where is everyone? Where are the others?"

This caused Okina to look down at the ground, and Misao felt her heart wrech, the realization slamming into her. "No…" She felt tears welling up in her eyes.

"Over there! There he is!"

"Shoot him! Shoot him!"

Both Misao and Okina turned to see what was going on. The six police officers had their rifles up and they shot at something that neither ninja could use.

It was only when four of the officers suddenly screamed, a sword suddenly slicing into them, causing blood to spill and further paint the ground red.

Misao had seen him once before. The man was wrapped in bandages, like a mummy. The reason for the bandages was because of the burns that were all over his body. He was a man that caused Misao to feel a sudden sense of rage, her hands clenching into fists.

The remaining two officers were stumbling away from the newcomer while they tried to reload their weapons for one last volley.

Makoto Shishio only laughed at the two of them. The bandaged man swung his katana, and one of the officers suddenly screamed, dropping to the ground.

Misao shook with newfound fury, her exhaustion suddenly forgotten. This was the man that had taken the lives of Aoshi and Kenshin. This was the man that had ruined her live. And she was going to make sure that he paid for what he did.

There was a small voice in her mind, the sensible part of her mind, that questioned how she would be able to beat him if Aoshi couldn't? Misao angrily blocked out that voice, her emerald eyes blazing with rage.

Someone had a different idea. As Misao started forward, Okina suddenly grabbed her by her shoulders, holding her back. "Misao no!"

"Let me go!" she snarled, struggling against Okina's grip. "He killed Aoshi!"

"Misao stop! You can't beat him!"

"Let me go!"

Misao felt Okina release, and for a second she thought that he was actually going to let her try. She was proven wrong when she felt a sudden blow to the back of her head.

The exhaustion that she had felt before suddenly came rushing back. The ninja girl's legs suddenly gave out, and she dropped to her knees. She probably would've fell face first if it weren't Okina suddenly grabbing her to halt her decent.

"Captain!" Okina suddenly shouted no doubt to the remaining police officer. "Take her! I'll hold him off!"

Despite the darkness that was starting to envelope Misao's vision, she was barely able to feel Okina handing her over to the officer. With gentleness, the man lifted Misao into his arms and started running off, leaving Okina alone with Shishio.

aaa

Misao's eyes suddenly snapped open, and she felt the cold sweat on her face as she awoke from the nightmare that had replayed the events of that night. The ninja girl held a hand to her head, closing her eyes but not allowing the gentle rocking of the carriage to put her back to sleep again.

Two years…two years since that fateful day, the day when her life had been stolen from her.

It had been night when Misao had taken that carriage that Amuro had prepared for her. Now, as she looked outside, she saw the rays of daylight…and the buildings that marked Tokyo.

Though seeing Tokyo, where at least some of her friends still lived, gave Misao a sense of relief, she couldn't help but feel a tinge of despair. The journey had taken a day...which proved how badly the war was going for the Imperialists. Tokyo was the main strongpoint of the Imperialists. Once Tokyo fell, the Imperialists were only going to be able to fight for another week or so before Shishio finally crushed them.

Sighing, Misao could only lean back in her seat, and hope that seeing Kaoru and Yahiko would give her some happiness.

aaa

Zigura Hurato was feeling like the most unluckiest man at the moment. He wished he could show some kind of courage and halt the shaking that was taking over his body, but the seven foot tall man that was packed with muscles obliterated any courage that he could muster. The man had fists larger then his head for crying out loud!

"Lieutenant Zigura…"

Hurato stiffened, his heart hammering in his chest. The man's back was turned to him, but the calm, yet powerful voice, that he spoke with caused another wave of sweat to soak his uniform. "Yes?"

"You said you had a plan to deliver a crushing blow to the Imperialists," the giant continued. His dark gaze was focused on a wall that had two very large hammers hanging from it. "Yet from what the reports say, your plan hasn't been successful. Your little trap didn't work, and the nine hundred soldiers I entrusted to you are dead. Care to explain?"

Hurato tried to speak, but suddenly found his voice having bailed on him. Seconds passed with him opening his mouth to speak, and then closing. Finally, he just bowed his head. "A spy."

The giant's had only twitched in Hurato's direction, but yet remained where he was. "A spy?"

Hurato gulped. "The spy…a girl…she…she tricked me!"

The man sighed, and Hurato felt his throat constricting because of that one side.

"I can explain! It wasn't my fault!"

"Oh? And whose fault is it?"

Hurato wanted to put the blame on someone else, but again words failed to come out of his mouth. He knew how cowardice was the worst way to show to a superior officer, especially an officer from Shishio's army.

The giant once again sighed, having gotten no answer from Hurato. If the lieutenant hadn't had his head bowed, he would've seen one of the hammers suddenly grabbed by an enormous fist and taken off the wall.

"I'm sorry sir," was all Hurato managed to say. "I have no excuse. This will never happen again."

"Of course it won't."

Hurato looked up.

The steel head of a very large hammer was all the officer was able to see before his world went black.

aaa

**Author's Note:** A very large hammer wielding muscled guy. A bit of a rip-off of Anji, but I hope people won't mind. When you're an evil leader, you gotta have big muscled henchmen to back you up, the first rule of villainy! So, with no second Spring Break coming up anytime soon, it looks like I'll be making another chapter soon.


	3. Chapter 2: Unlikely Events

**Author's Note: **Well…I don't really have an excuse for this late chapter. I just slacked off, hehe -rubs back of neck- Don't kill me! O.o Anyway, with the finals coming closer, instead of working us hard, some of my classes have just…stopped giving us work (Computer Apps and Latin Online to be exact). And since those two classes come right after the other, I have somewhere around four hours or so of free time doing anything that I want. And, since both classes involve a computer, I might as well get this chapter up. So, let's begin!

aaa

Though Misao would take some relief at being back in Tokyo, she felt a small knot form in her stomach as she stepped through the door of what she knew as the Kamiya dojo. Despite not spending much time here, the old dojo hadn't really changed.

Neither had the occupants.

"Misao is here!" two young voices suddenly cried.

Misao yelped, feeling the owners of the two voices suddenly catapult into her from behind and latch onto her legs. Off balanced, the ninja girl waved her arms in an attempt to help steady herself. Unfortunately, the _thud_ that was heard when Misao fell to the floor was a clue that she hadn't been very successful.

"Ow." Pushing herself up from the floor, Misao's gaze went to her legs where she found two smiling faces that caused her to smile. "Hello Ayame and Suzume."

The two girls beamed up at her. Even with two years having gone by, the granddaughters of Dr. Gensai had only managed to grow a foot taller, not enough for them to grow out of their childish antics it seems. Every time Misao would visit, the two managed to pop out of nowhere and surprise like they did now.

"We missed you!" cried Ayame.

"Yeah we missed you!" Suzume repeated.

Still smiling, Misao tried to peel the two girls off of her legs, only to discover that they've managed to get stronger over the years. "I missed you girls too." Misao managed to get Suzume off her leg, but when she tried for Ayame, the younger sister latched back onto her leg. "I do need my legs though."

The two giggled, but their hold on the ninja girl didn't loosen.

"Hey come on." Taking Ayame's arms, Misao pried them off from around her leg. Protesting, the older sister tried to wrap her arms around the limb once again, only to have Misao move her leg away from her grasp. "No. No more."

Ayame pouted…then launched herself at Misao.

"Gah!" Surprised, Misao was only able to feel Ayame grab her around her middle before the ninja girl fell back down to the floor with another _thud_. Settling with a sitting position, Misao looked at the girl that held her middle and then the other one that was around her leg. "You two aren't going to let go are you?"

"Need help?"

Misao looked towards where the new voice spoke and another smile blossomed onto her face. "Probably."

Returning the smile, Yahiko bent down and, ignoring the cry of protest, managed detach Suzume from Misao's leg while the ninja girl took care of Ayame.

"Head inside you two," instructed Yahiko. "Dinner will start soon."

While Ayame and Suzume disappeared into the dojo, Misao looked at Yahiko.

The "little Yahiko" image had disappeared over the two years. Now actually being a head taller then Misao, the now young man was carrying a fishing pole and the bucket of fish proved that the fishing had been successful. The smile on Misao's face, however, threatened to disappear from her face when she saw the sheathed katana that hung from Yahiko's waist.

The war hadn't only changed Misao it seems…

"Glad to have you back," Yahiko spoke.

That caused the smile to stay on Misao's face while she nodded. "It's good to be back."

That was all too true. Being at Tokyo again, being at home, made her feel a lot better then being in enemy territory and watching her back, always afraid that her cover would be blown. And a blown cover, in the middle of enemy territory, caused the odds of getting out alive to really pile up.

Being in friendly territory wasn't all that much better either. She would see faces that were losing hope and always stumbling on the wounded, whether they had simple cuts or broken bones to missing limbs. Those weren't sights that Misao wasn't looking forward to see again.

"Going to actually stay for dinner this time?" Yahiko questioned while he went into the dojo.

"Yeah. I have to go back in three days."

Yahiko's smile twitched but otherwise stayed. "Well at least its longer then the last few times you were allowed off."

That also was – unfortunately - all too true. Her work wasn't exactly something to take too long of a break from during these desperate times. When she did take a break, it could be as long as a day to as short as a couple of hours. With stubbornness still being a core factor of her being, Misao didn't want to spend time lying around when her spy work can help turn the tables in this war.

Misao glanced around the dojo while she followed Yahiko. As they journeyed towards the kitchen, Misao couldn't help but frown. Her gaze landed on Yahiko's back and, after a mental debate, asked, "How is she?"

Yahiko faltered, and Misao could sense the sudden grave look come across his face. "She's been getting worse." He sighed, slumping his shoulders. "She's wasting away. She's always been strong but," he shook his head, "Dr. Gensai gives her another month, though Megumi argues that she has a half a month more then that."

The same feeling of dread that she felt during the fall of Kyoto threatened to overwhelm Misao. Too many people had died because of the war; Aoshi, Kenshin, the Owniwabanshu. Misao didn't exactly have many friends in the past, mostly because of her being so busy searching for Aoshi. It was pure luck that she stumbled onto Kenshin and, later on, Sano, Yahiko, and Kaoru. Over the two years, Misao was now only left with Yahiko, Kaoru, Ayame, Suzume, Gensai, Megumi, and Amuro.

Now it seems Kaoru was going to be taken off her list of friends that still lived.

Out of everyone that she knew, Misao had been the closest to Kaoru. They were so much alike; stubborn, not exactly patient, and can react with violent acts of rage as Sano and Yahiko had figured out. Like Misao, Kaoru had been searching for a loved one. And, also like Misao, she had seen that loved one dead.

Though Misao had managed to push away the pain, the memory of that day still hurts her. And, despite the saying 'time heals all wounds', fate seemed to enjoy destroying any healing time was doing; the death of Aoshi, the destruction of Kyoto and the Owniwabanshu. Now it looked as if fate was going to strike another blow by taking Kaoru away.

Despite the tears having come so easily when Aoshi and the Owniwabanshu left the world of the living, Misao found it much easier to hold back the tears that were meant for Kaoru. The two years of war hadn't just hardened her physically, but also mentally and emotionally.

It couldn't be said for Kaoru it seems. The former dojo instructor had gotten the flu during winter, a month or two after Kenshin's death. Already heartsick, Kaoru's illness continued to attack her. The following events - the burning of Kyoto, the war - reinforced the illness. Kaoru was strong - Misao was still surprised that Kaoru had lasted this long - but knew that the illness was slowly eating away at her. Sooner or later, Kaoru was going to be reunited with Kenshin in death.

"You can go see her if you want," said Yahiko, his back still turned to Misao. "She's down the hall to your right. Third door to your left."

Misao silently nodded, turning in the direction where Yahiko had pointed out and letting her feet move her forward.

aaa

_I don't like this._

Amuro had repeated that thought exactly one hundred and eleven times during the little journey and an additional thirty-four more times as he monitored the retrieval of the shipment. Though a part of his mind was focused on the ship, the rest of it was thinking about what he was doing.

In front of him, docked in one of the very few harbors that the Imperials still possessed, was a ship. The boarding ramp already set, his men moved to and from the ship, going in empty handed, and then coming back down with cannons and gunpowder.

Some of the men weren't his men, however. The ones that weren't under his command had eyes that were wider then that of his…people, and some of them had hair that were blond and red; colors that were usually uncommon among the Japanese.

"Large shipment. Hope you can pay for it all."

Amuro glanced over his shoulder at the man standing behind him. Standing only an inch or two higher then the general, the man had a muscular build that came from his times of sailing. He had the same wide eyes and the blond hair with red tints that clearly marked him as not being someone of Japanese heritage.

An American.

"We have enough to pay for this," Amuro assured as the man stood next to him. Despite not being Japanese, the American spoke Japanese well enough, allowing him and Amuro to have this conversation.

The American looked on as the men rolled out the weaponry that had been transported. "So, what exactly are you planning to use all this for?"

Amuro glanced at the man. "Our enemies are on hold. And, considering we're so close to losing the war, I'm hoping that these weapons will allow us to at least buy us more time."

"Plow through them and gain some more ground," the American translated. "Well with this load I don't doubt your success." He let his eyes land on a man that was transporting a weapon from the ship; a weapon that, despite the wheels that gave it easier transportation, was not a cannon. "Especially with those."

"The gatling gun," Amuro muttered, his gaze on the same weapon. "A part of the future that will change all the rules of warfare."

"Better to get shot then have some blade slice off your limbs."

Amuro nodded, though, ironically, he knew that getting shot in a leg usually led the limb to become amputated. The rifles, and this gatling gun included, used a rather large and heavy cylindrical lead bullet called the minie ball (a .53 caliber). The bullet caused much more gruesome wounds then the smoothbore musket ball did. Since the bullets crushed and smashed bone so badly, there was really no other choice but to amputate.

It was a bit of a good thing that Shishio's soldiers mostly used swords instead of guns.

"Well, despite how we're not going to see each other a lot, I have to wish you guys good luck."

Amuro grinned. "I'm sure you do. Without us, who are you going to make money off of by selling these weapons?"

The man chuckled. "And they say you boys weren't smart."

Of course the Americans weren't just donating weapons out of goodwill. War was something that countries could gain from. Amuro had been skeptical about starting trade with the Americans, but even he had to admit that they were running out of ammo and weapons; there was a danger that they would lose the war because they no longer had any had bullets to fire, and guns were really the only advantage that the Imperials had in this war. While the soldiers of Shishio were many, the guns caused some of them to die before the rest got close enough to make use of their swords.

The man looked at Amuro and saluted. "Well, good luck with the war General. Though we had our revolution and civil war before you guys copied us, I wish you luck."

Amuro returned the salute. "Thank you Captain."

The American nodded before turning on his heel and marching back to his ship.

Amuro watched the man leave, and then looked on as the weapons were loaded on a train that would quickly transport the weapons to the front lines where they would be used.

He kind of wish that Misao was here. Despite his rank, he never did like taking part in meetings; especially secret meetings. Secrecy was something that Misao was becoming very good at.

But a chance for rest was what Amuro knew that the ex-Okashira needed. The work that she was doing, and the things that she's been seeing during her work, was something that Amuro didn't want a child to go through. Unfortunately, even he couldn't put aside how Misao's spy work had managed to keep them in this war a little longer. Though it did cause him some pain to allow a young woman like her to add additional scars to what should've been a normal life (or as normal as a life for an Okashira), there wouldn't be a normal life for anyone if Shishio was allowed to win.

And, unfortunately, Misao's secret duties weren't becoming secrets. During his meetings with the Americans, Amuro managed to hear tidbits of conversation of "the last ninja" and how she struck at her enemies from the shadows. If the Americans were already telling tales about Misao, Amuro could only wonder what tales Shishio's men were speaking.

Amuro shuddered, suddenly realizing the attention that was being drawn towards Misao wasn't something that she should have in a war. Amuro knew of the tales that his own soldiers were whispering amongst one another, and couldn't help but wonder if the ex-Okashira was their Hitokiri Battousai; an individual that boosted morale.

And the enemy liked finding ways of crushing morale. Again Amuro shuddered, thinking about how exactly the enemy would want to take away their morale…and had a pretty good feeling that a corpse of the ninja girl was something that would do.

_First children fighting in this war and now cooperation with Americans,_ the General thought to himself. _What next? Criminals that I have sent to jail?_

A crazy idea to be sure. Amuro would prefer someone that had been a part of Shishio and then decided to fight for their side. After all, what greater weapon was there then turning an enemy to fight for your cause? To gain strength while they are weakened?

_Like that would ever happen,_ Amuro thought bitterly as he marched towards the train. _I might as well be wishing that the legendary Tenken would somehow make an appearance and fight for us._

Now that was even crazier. For all that Amuro knew the Tenken was probably dead. Shishio was someone that strictly enforced his 'the strong will survive and the weak will die' belief. He had even slain the members of his elite fighting force; the Juppon Gattana when he had started his conquest and came across the defeated fighters.

Amuro had lead the search parties that had been sent out to search for Seta Soujiro and had searched for a few months until the start of the war caused the search to be called off, and the Tenken was forgotten, just like that.

Been two years already. At least one of the two warring factions should've seen signs that the Tenken was out there or even alive. There were no such signs.

Then again, the Battousai, Himura Kenshin, had managed to disappear for a period of time and reappeared.

But Seta Soujiro wasn't Himura Kenshin and the chance of that happening with the Tenken was very, very slim. Why would Soujiro want to fight for them anyway?

aaa

**Author's Note: **Well, finally got this chapter up. And with the hours of free time in my two classes, I should be able to get the next chapter up sooner then this one…I hope. Review people!


End file.
